Chapter 292

Daniela didn't care in the slightest.

Caiden had always been the epitome of selfishness,driven solely by his own interests. If he weren't, how else could he have remarried with such haste after Brylee's death?

The very idea of seeing him as a father had faded into irrelevance for her years ago.

But Cedric couldn't understand Daniela's apathy.Though he only had one family member, his grandmother, she had loved him dearly.

Whenever he interacted with Caiden, he couldn't help but cling to a faint hope that Caiden might show a bit more kindness towards Daniela.

It was a glimpse of Cedric's own humanity-a part of him that remained tender and idealistic despite his hardd-earned success.

Watching Cedric's frustration with Caiden often made Daniela think about how, despite being a billionaire CEO, he still carried a soft, vulnerable heart. It touched her in a way she hadn't expected.

Maybe it was because someone else still held on to what she had long since given up on.

When Daniela came down the stairs, she was greeted by the sight of Caiden pacing angrily, his face flushed with frustration.

"Daniela! Do you even know what Cedric has done to me?" he complained.

Daniela's face remained unreadable. Of course, she knew.

Caiden had been leveraging her and Cedric's names to secure business opportunities.

After the funds landed in Harper Group's accounts,he conveniently labeled them as profits and distributed them as dividends. The sums weren't significant-just tens of thousands a month at most.

Yet,Caiden basked in the illusion of success. At first,he knew full well that his so-called achievements stemmed from Daniela's and Cedric's reputations.But as time passed, he began to convince himself he was a brilliant businessman.

Cedric, however, had reached his limit. With one decisive move, he severed every business tie Caiden had built.

"Cedric told everyone in the industry that if they even think about working with me, he'll blacklist them. Is this how he plans to go against me?" Caiden asked.

Daniela took a slow sip of her water, her gaze unwavering. "Isn't it clear?"

Caiden almost sputtered in fury. "Daniela! I brought you into this world. How can you just stand there and let this happen to me?"

A faint smile tugged at Daniela's lips. "My mother brought me into this world, not you."

"You..."

Daniela kept her composure, never once feeling responsible for how Caiden felt.

With that, she turned and walked away to sit down in front of the TV.

Caiden shot her a furious glare. "If you're not going to let me run my business, then you better start giving me money. Daniela, supporting your parents is a legal duty. Don't try to back out of it by saying we're estranged. I've already spoken to a lawyer.You'll be required to pay me an allowance every month."

That much was true.

Daniela was well aware of that fact.

Without taking her eyes off the TV, she responded "Don't worry. If you need the money, I'll give it to you." Caiden's eyes instantly sparkled with excitement at her words. "Are you serious?"

Daniela gave a quick nod. "Of course, I don't break the law."

Caiden's face broke into a wide grin.

Given Daniela's wealth, the financial support wouldn't be a small amount.

Had he known it would be this easy, he never would have bothered with business in the first place.

He could have simply asked Daniela for money straight away.

Caiden left happily, as he was excited to get his monthly allowance from Daniela.

On the other hand, after Caiden made his public declaration severing ties with Joyce, Katrina's anxiety intensified.

If Joyce no longer had ties to the Harper family, how could those who owed money possibly let her off the hook?

Katrina spent her days in helpless tears, consumed by worry.

Caiden, however, remained utterly indifferent. His cold demeanor gave no hint of the affection he had once shown her.

Katrina couldn't help but regret her past choices.

She bitterly recalled the wealthy man her mother had once tried to set her up with. How different things might have been if she hadn't turned him down.

Just as this thought crossed her mind, her phone buzzed with an incoming call.

"Has Joyce made it back home yet?" her mother asked from the other end. The faint clink of poker chips and the shuffle of cards were barely audible in the background.

"No," Katrina whispered, her voice trembling as tears she could no longer hold back began to fall. "Mom,what am I supposed to do? I've begged Daniela, I've even pleaded with Caiden, but neither of them will spend a penny to help Joyce."

There was a brief pause on the other end, followed by the sound of cards being shuffled and the low murmur of people placing bets.

A few minutes later, the sound of a chair scraping against the floor broke through the quiet, and the background noise began to fade.

Her mother's voice returned, this time with less noise in the background. "When you reach a dead end, it's time to walk away. Remember that wealthy man I told you about? He's still an option. Just recently,he asked about you, wondering if you'd reconsidered."

Katrina was quiet for a moment.

"He's a great match. His wife passed away, and despite being introduced to other women, he showed no interest in any of them. But the moment he saw your picture on my phone, he was immediately interested. He told me money's no concern for him.I did some digging. He's in the oil industry, and he spends like money's nothing."

Katrina bit her lip, weighing her options.

"I understand what you're holding on to, but Daniela is beyond Caiden's reach now. You're only fooling yourself if you think you can outsmart her, especially with Cedric backing her. You're out of your league here."

Her mother paused,giving her words time to sink in.

"From everything you've said, it sounds like Daniela might already know the truth about her mother's death. If that's the case, you need to leave while you still can. If you don't, it won't be just you-it'll be Joyce too. You saw how cruel Brylee was. Her daughter is more ruthless than her."